Tag: marketing

8 Steps for Reaching Out to New Clients

8 Steps for Reaching Out to New Clients

One reason to reach out to new clients is to tell them that you are available for freelancing work. They won’t know unless you tell them. Cold emailing is one method. I give you steps on how to be brave and develop an effective strategy, making the best impression you can.

Tall Tartan Talks here … Follow my 8-step guide for reaching out:

  1. Preparing is key
  2. Training to add value
  3. Adding skills to your CV
  4. Researching clients
  5. Keeping records
  6. Writing emails
  7. Responding to replies
  8. Build a marketing habit.

1. Preparing is key

I proofread non-fiction as a service. I made sure I was well trained so that I could offer professionalism and expertise as qualities of my proofreading service. Preparation is half of the process I will describe.

2. Training to add value

The first thing a potential client may want to do when you reach out is to look at your website or LinkedIn profile to check your training credentials. I did training in proofreading with the CIEP (ciep.uk), my professional body.

As a freelancer you should consider training in your field of expertise. If you are an editor or proofreader, you may want to specialise by doing a course in a particular niche – in my case, editing educational digital materials.

3. Adding skills to your CV

Add the course you have just completed to your CV and to the Featured section of your LinkedIn profile.

4. Researching new clients

You may have an idea of the kinds of new clients you want to reach out to. When I see a prospective client advertising for staff or freelancers (usually on social media, usually on my phone), I take a screenshot and email it to myself. If I can’t act on it immediately, I move the email to my Prospective Clients email folder.

5. Keeping records

Once a month I go through the emails I have sent myself, add them to my spreadsheet and research each in turn by reading their websites. Some can be prioritised by a) how enthusiastic their website makes me feel; or b) removed from my list because their business would not be a good fit for me. For example they publish fiction.

In my case, as a ex-teacher and primary tutor, I have listed possible clients that publish non-fiction, educational books, and children’s books as they are my proofreading specialisms.

6. Writing emails

About once a month on average, I do a cold-emailing session. In my drafts folder I have a template for each specialism and use the template suitable for the next potential client.

I write a concise subject line keeping it short and relevant, e.g. Proofreader Available. Listing a specific specialism I provide that will help them solve their problem, I keep the email short with no more than five sentences – no one wants to wade through an essay. I don’t make the email emotional, just business-like.

Some companies don’t like emails with attachments. Rather than attach my CV, I tend to end with P.S. My CV is available on request. Unless, of course, a new client has specifically asked for a CV.

I keep possible clients in groups of specialisms. I prepare emails in batches by using copy and paste or a text expander to make the writing process quicker and more efficient. Then I tweak the email to personalise my message. Do not invest emotion or spend hours on one email; there mental turmoil lies.

I do a final check of spelling and punctuation. Mistakes will come across as unprofessional. Take a deep breath and press send. Return to that spreadsheet and record the date when emails were sent. Then I put it to the back of my mind, walk away, and get on with my day.

I don’t worry if I don’t get replies; I don’t take it personally. In truth, I probably get one reply in ten saying they will add me to their database. I comfort myself with the fact that the client that needs me will get back to me. How will they know if I don’t tell them?

Using this technique, I can send up to 10 emails in one hour. In one very quiet month, I cold emailed once a week, sending emails to 40 possible new clients. I have been perfecting my system for two years.

7. Responding to replies

Remember, silence or rejection is a normal part of the cold-emailing process. Don’t let silence discourage you. By following these steps and believing in the value you offer, you will be emailing with confidence.

If the magic happens – a new client replies and reaches out– respond promptly to show integrity and efficiency. Or only send your cold emails when you have time to respond.

8. Build a marketing habit

Once you have a marketing habit that you are comfortable with, repeat the training and cold emailing with regular effort. Establish and maintain a routine that works for you. You will feel braver. I did!

Sprinkling publishing confidence,

Annie

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Note: These 8 Steps were part of a PDF guide on my website called Eight steps that worked for me – For business confidence. I repurposed the PDF in my blog post Marketing Mindset.

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Marketing Mindset

blog post Marketing Mindset

As business owners we worry about marketing our skills. I know, I’ve been there. I invite you to activate your business brain. Switch on your marketing mindset.

If you want potential clients to know that you are available for work, you need to tell them using marketing. Otherwise how will they know?

Tall Tartan Talks here … I give you tips on how to market your business. These are strategies I’ve tried when marketing my proofreading business. They have reinforced that I am friendly, efficient and trustworthy. Sprinkling publishing confidence.

LinkedIn

Let’s begin at the beginning. If you don’t have a website, have a presence on social media, for example, LinkedIn. Here’s my profile page.

I post many marketing tips on LinkedIn for edibuddies and other freelancers. Find my tips by searching for my hashtag #TallTartanTips then follow to be notified of my posts.

The tips are handy reminders I have picked up in the CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, ciep.uk) forums, at Drive the Partnership Network, and on social media about how to own, run, and market your business.

Use my tips as reminders to help you maintain a positive business brain and marketing mindset.

Tips about marketing your business

I have sorted my tips into six categories:

  • Useful resources
  • Using social media
  • Blogging
  • How to be a business owner
  • Motivation tips.

Useful resources

  • Build a website or pay someone you trust to build it for you. It is your shop window which you own, unlike your social media profiles.
  • Make time for investigating resources that will help you improve your marketing. Listen to the podcasts of experts in your field.
  • Invest money in resources: you need to speculate to accumulate. It could be a course or a tool to help you do your job more effectively.

Using social media

  • Follow useful connections on LinkedIn, who might know others in industries you have an interest in. This could help find you work.
  • Like, comment, and  engage with connections on social media. Be brave.
  • Be even braver. Plan content for social media. Have a strategy for showcasing your work by sharing testimonials, plans for the coming week, wins of the last week, poignant thoughts that will resonate with others …

Blogging

I use blogging to get eyes on my website. I write posts about freelancing, education, and running a business. Then I share them on social media otherwise no one will know I’ve published a new post.

Search and follow the hashtag for my blog #TallTartanTalks on LinkedIn. Or go to my blog on my website.

I have self-published an eBook collection of my blog posts as a way to explore self-publishing. Find Tall Tartan Talks – My Collection of Blog Posts: Tips on Running a Business on Amazon.

How to be a business owner

  • Feel the fear and do it anyway.
  • Think of yourself as a business owner wearing many hats. If needs be, outsource the skills you don’t have to those who have the skills.
  • Practise the 3Ps: patience, perseverance, persistence.
  • Look out for your physical and mental health. Ensure a work/life balance by setting personal boundaries. Go outside and get some fresh air by walking or gardening. Perhaps walk in the woods among the trees, which works for me.

Motivation tips

Those who go fishing catch the fish.

Thor A Rain, lead writer of the book First Aid For Feelings Manual from The Helpful Clinic (I proofread their book.)

I love this quote because you can’t catch fish (get clients) unless you go fishing (email or phone them). It is up to you to tell clients that you are available for work. How else will they know? It’s a no-brainer.

Thor and Nicki’s book, First Aid For Feelings – the essential Manual for self-care skills and good health, emphasises how to look after yourself and gives tips on how to be physically and mentally healthy. That’s especially important when you run your own business. (See image in my gallery.)

I gain valuable advice from members like Thor when we attend Drive, our networking group on Zoom. The weekly meetings are a collaborative space where my freelancer tribe shares wins, problems and advice. I learn something worthwhile at every meeting which helps me stay motivated. Find your tribe and safe space.

Inspired by Thor, I created a marketing strategy that I use when emailing prospective clients: Eight steps that worked for me.

8 steps that worked for me

Testimonial

“Annie encouraged me to market my services to companies I knew I could help. She helped me to see that someone will see your content and want to use your services at some point in the future, so it makes sense to keep marketing.

If you are proactive with marketing, and don’t worry about the responses, you will fit someone’s need, somewhere. You’re right – they won’t know if you don’t tell them. Annie helped me think more clearly about where to go with my marketing. Thank you!”

Andrea Constable of Squiggle Social

Since writing this, my post as part of this mindet is available: 8 Steps for Reaching Out to New Clients

Sprinkling publishing confidence,

Annie

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More Website Features You Should Check

more website featrures you should check (part 2)

Since I wrote ‘6 Website Features You Should Check’ to help you make sure your website is up to date and relevant, I have added to that list.

Here is the original list:

  1. Contact email address
  2. Contact form
  3. Spelling, punctuation and grammar
  4. Copyright date in the footer
  5. ‘I’ rather than ‘we’
  6. A photo of you, the business owner.

Tall Tartan Talks here … Following learning and keen to make my website as efficient as possible I commissioned a fellow freelancer (a WordPress expert) to do a review of my website. An MOT, if you like. I am grateful for the many tips she recommended.

4 more features to check

Therefore, in addition, I recommend checking these features:

  1. SSL certificate
  2. New tab settings
  3. Broken links
  4. Error 404 message

Go on, look again … Open a new tab and work through your website and my list.

What and how to fix

1.What is an SSL certificate?

You are researching a topic and click on a website link. It opens. You notice that the padlock on the top left of the website URL (address) is missing. It appears with the message ‘Not secure’.

Some URLs start with http:// while others start with https. Maybe you noticed that extra ‘s’ when you were browsing websites that require giving sensitive information, like paying bills. But where does that extra ‘s’ come from and what does it mean? Your website host should provide you with an SSL certificate. If your website is missing that extra ‘s’, it could put off potential clients.

2. Setting new tabs

Adding content to your web pages might include a linking to another page of your website, eg Contact page with a hyperlink, or linking to another website you recommend.

If a visitor to your website receives an Error 404, there is an error loading that page, or a page link is broken. A quick and easy way to check that you’ve minimised this problem is to check that the links in your website work. Just google ‘broken links’ – you’ll find a selection of websites to help.

When I checked, I found many broken links. Aaargh! It seems I had tweaked and moved my pages around my website muchly over the last couple of years; I hadn’t checked that links still worked. They do now!

4. Personalising your 404 page

Have you tried personalising your Error 404 plug-in? Thanks to another freelancing colleague for that tip. If you feel creative, you could take your branding all the way through to the pages that break. 

You hope that visitors to your website won’t ever see the Error 404 message, but, if they do, they will still see you, your personality and your message, with a link that you’ve placed there redirecting them back to your homepage.

Are you up to date now?

Remember, your website is your shop window. Does it work efficiently? Does it represent you and your business?

And here’s Part 1: 6 Website Features You Should Check in case you missed it.

Interested in branding? Read my blog post on My Branding Process.

Cheery wave from computer. More website feaures you schould check (part 2)
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6 Website Features You Should Check

6 website features you should check (part 1)

Have you started your freelance business? Do you have a website? Are you concerned that you don’t have much yet to put on a website?

You may feel terrified at the thought of building a website.

Or have you owned a website for ages? Have things changed in your business? Perhaps your website needs refreshing.

Tall Tartan Talks here … Whether you are a new or established freelancer, it is vital to give prospective clients who come across your website the impression that your features are correct and up to date.

Fear not. I have made a list of website features that you should check, which won’t take a moment for you to fix.

Go on, have a look … Open up a new tab, find the admin section of your website, and work through my list.

Website features to check

  1. Contact email address
  2. Contact form
  3. Spelling, punctuation and grammar
  4. Correct copyright date in the footer
  5. ‘I’ rather than ‘we’
  6. A photo of you, the business owner.

Fixing six elements

1. Contact email address

If you have a website, it appears more professional if your email address is linked to your domain name. For example, my website is proofnow.co.uk. My business email is annie@proofnow.co.uk.

Make sure the spelling of your email address is correct on your website. An error means potential clients, or fellow colleagues, can’t reach you. They will give up and try someone else.

It is personal choice whether to display your phone number or not. Some freelancers like their customers to book a call, so their number may be linked to a Call To Action (CTA) button.

Being contacted by WhatsApp, in my opinion, is the worst way to communicate for business. I keep that app for friends and family. Others don’t want to be disturbed by phone but would rather be contacted by email. Whatever your preferred form of communication, make sure it is apparent and correct on your website.

2. Contact form

A contact form on your website is effective for reducing spam. But ensure it is connected to your email address and messages can get through. It is frustrating for potential clients to send a message only for it to be lost in the ether. Check your contact form works by emailing yourself or asking a friend to test it.

3. Spelling, punctuation and grammar

This may seem obvious, but check the spelling, punctuation and grammar. Proofreading the content is vital, especially if you are providing your services as an editor or proofreader.

It is difficult to proofread your own writing because you see what you think is there, not what is actually there. You may have redrafted a phrase and the sense has gone? Yep! Again, ask a friend to check the content for you.

4. Correct copyright date in the footer

Have you ever scrolled all the way down to the bottom of a website page you are browsing? There is usually a date at the bottom – the copyright date. It should show the current year or the range of years of business.

You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) how many websites look out of date because the footer hasn’t been updated. Even well-known and established brands have overlooked small details like this.

If the date is wrong, how can we trust other content on the website to be correct?

5. ‘I’ rather than ‘we’

This is a style feature. If you are a sole trader, you own your freelance business. It’s just you, not a team. Do you use ‘I’ or ‘we’?

‘I’ is more personal and gives the impression that you are talking directly to me. I can get a sense of you and your business from your website. ‘We’ gives the impression that you are part of a team providing the service.

Be honest with your content. If you use ‘we’, who else are you talking about? What are the names of the people in your team and where are their photos? That brings me on to the next heading.

6. A photo of the website owner

I am aware that not everyone likes to see themselves in a photograph. But a photo of the freelancer brings a personal touch to their website. I can put a face to the name of the business.

It’s not hard to upload a selfie. If it is an up-to-date photo, even better. If you can afford to get a professional headshot taken by someone who can show your personality … fantastic!

Some freelancers use a logo instead. It’s a personal choice. Whatever image you use, make sure it is the same on your website as in any networking groups and social media channels you use.  If you use a photo, we’ll recognise you quicker. You will become a familiar face. And we’ll remember you.

Keeping your website fresh

If these features are in place and appear current, the potential clients looking at your website will know that they can trust you. You will give a good impression. The client may even be convinced to ask for your services.

There are other features I haven’t mentioned, but those mentioned here are a start and will point you in the right direction.

Websites are never finished. Don’t think that once it is built, that’s all you need to do. You need to tweak it monthly, at least.

If you add new content, for example, a fresh testimonial, it will keep your website up to date and fresh.

Why your website is important

If you keep these six points in mind, your website will help you come across as a trustworthy and confident professional.

Remember, your website is your shop window.

You may just prefer to rely on a profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook to help you persuade clients to book your services. But you own your website. It belongs to you and isn’t at the whim of the social media algorithms.

Your website needs to work for you and represent who you are. Be proud of it!

more website features you shold check
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Next in series: More Website Features You Should Check

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Websites and Marketing

marketing

Much has happened since I first wrote (a year ago) about marketing my proofreading business, so this is the update:  how I told the world I was open for business.

Building a website, social media and content marketing were the essential strategies I used, back in 2017, to proclaim my new services as a proofreader.

In a previous episode Business Plan and Training, I detailed how I became a freelancer offering proofreading services after three decades as a primary school teacher. In this tweaked blog post, I describe how I decided on my marketing strategy and how it has evolved.

I know some freelance business owners who still cringe at the thought of putting any details ‘out there’. Or haven’t got the interest or skills to build a website. But how else are you going to advertise your services or get business unless you are a presence online? There is also plenty of support out there if you need guidance or to outsource.

Displaying your ‘shop window’

“A website is essential: you need a ‘shop window’ to display your business.” These were the words of my Business Mentor at my local Job Centre when they helped me set up as a self-employed proofreader.

The process of choosing a website domain, a host, designing my website, plus researching the content marketing world of social media was a steep learning curve.

But I have come far over the last two years!

Also, I have seen many people, including career-changers, entering the world of editing and proofreading who are asking all the questions I asked then.  So this blog post might help you. What follows is what I did to market my business.

Building a website

By January 2017, my New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) Business Plan (with People Plus) had been approved, and I was told by my mentor to go and build a website. The only domain name which was available and that I liked the sound of was Proofnow. That was the easy part. Proofnow Proofreader was born.

“How do I build a website?” My only experience had been editing my class page on the website of the school where I taught.

I chose my first website host. The building of each page was fairly straightforward: I added Services, Pricing and About pages, with a few photographs for variety; I emphasised my previous career as a teacher with efficient marking skills – this would be my Unique Selling Point (USP). I could add a couple of testimonials after getting some proofreading work.

Finding the website host for you

Although I was pleased with the look of the site on the desktop of the PC, it looked dreadful on my mobile. One tip I had read was that your website must be viewable on all devices.

At the end of my first year of business, I knew I had to find a different host as I found the backend clunky. I did some fairly intense research to find my next website host.

Creating a new website

I copied everything over to my new website … then I was up and active with my new host. What a relief!

Over time I read and researched more about how your website should be less about you and more about how you can solve problems for your potential client. This gave me the courage to tweak the theme and wording. Here are some tips I learnt.

Basic website tips

  • easy to read, clear font
  • your headshot and/or logo
  • your services – what you can do for your client
  • contact details – how does a new client get in touch with you?
  • Say less of what ‘I’ can do but what ‘you’, the client, needs. How you (the freelancer) can solve their (client) problem.
  • match the branding on your website with that on your social media sites where you will publish and market your website. In other words: same headshot, same banner, same headline/tagline for consistent marketing.
  • Designing your brand is made easier by choosing prepared designs from a free app.  Canva is a design programme for those who have basic technical skills. I found it really useful when ensuring consistency in designing the banners for marketing my website and social media profile pages. This represents ‘joined-up’ marketing.

Everything I tried with my website involved trial and error, with the undo button at hand. Also, with sheer surprise if something worked first time!

Visibility

Now, having been with WordPress for a while, I am now happy with my website and proud of what I have achieved so far. It is easy to manage and looks consistently good on a desktop, tablet and smartphone. Statistics show that mobile devices are used more for browsing websites than any other. Indeed, smartphones mean that websites can be viewed immediately when a link is shared. So it is essential that your website works and looks good. Everywhere.

Social media

LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, …? What kind of social media do you prefer? Where do you share the link to your website? What kind of content marketer are you? I know some folk who steer well clear. They’re just not interested. I know some folks who do it ALL. Is that a good idea? Does it work? Does it GET you work?

Facebook

The first thing I did on Facebook when I started my business was to advertise Proofnow Proofreader as a business Facebook page because I understood it.

I have joined Facebook support groups. Anything you need reassurance for, it’s there, whether you are a freelancer, editor, proofreader or tutor like me.

LinkedIn

I attended a workshop on LinkedIn run by fellow SfEP-er John Espirian at the annual conference of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders in 2018: ‘How not to be a LinkedIn Loser’. I learnt A LOT. He gives results of methods he has tried to make the algorithm work for him, then passes on the tips. Then I saw John talk on LinkedIn at the Cambridge Social Media Day (#CSMDay2019) in November, when I topped up my LinkedIn skills.

LinkedIn tips

He recommends liking and commenting on the posts of others to engage in conversation, rather than sharing. This raises the visibility of your profile. To some, LinkedIn is where important contacts can be followed, and business connections can be made. Work may even follow. This is my favourite way to post my blog posts where colleagues  can engage. Here is my LinkedIn page. Judge for yourself. Why don’t you try personalising your invite to connect? Then I will understand how we can help each other.

LinkedIn is also beneficial as recommendations can be made. After doing a proofreading job on a punctuation book for children, I was able to send the author a link where she could write a testimonial. It’s impactful because the focus is on the client to write it for you.

Twitter

On Twitter, retweeting (sharing) posts of those you follow, and your own posts improves engagement. I engage on Twitter because a lot of SfEP members are there. An educational author even got in touch and offered me a proofreading job!

Like, comment, share

 

Having read a HUGE array of tips about content marketing, everything I have learnt has been by osmosis, by watching how others do it. However, it IS an effort to stay on top of content on social media.

When following newsletters  you subscribe to for tips and advice, it is imperative to be selective. Take control and make your inbox manageable. Or you’d never get any work done.

Content marketing

If you want to share content, planning is vital. Blogging, for instance, is far more effective if subjects are planned over the longterm. Then fit in spontaneous posts when giving a reaction to situations. I try to publish a blog post monthly – it’s scary how quickly those months go.

When I share a #TallTartanTalks blog post, I aim to do it on a day when I don’t have a work deadline and have the time to like and comment on the engagement. This is timetabled in my diary.  As a result, when I engage, my website viewing statistics increase dramatically. That’s one of the reaons why blogging is effective: for website visibility.

Others prefer to use scheduling tools, like Buffer, so that the timings of content posting are automatic. The worry of manual posting is removed.

Next blogging …

In my next blog post I will return to the subject of primary tuition and educational publishers as clients.

You can read my introduction to my education series in Why I Tutor.

 

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